

The First Degree
Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek
Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be friends with a murderer? Or escape a kidnapping? Or have a father who was a serial killer? Join Jac Vanek and Alexis Linkletter on a chilling ride into the darkest corners of your worst nightmares. Murders, cults, kidnappings, and conspiracies—all told through the eyes of a guest who is one degree of separation from the story itself. From infamous serial killers to the unbelievable unknown murder in your own backyard, The First Degree delivers a new perspective to the already fascinating true crime landscape. And who knows... you may be our next guest. (Plus, join them every Thursday for Killing Time, the light-hearted, true crime-adjacent aftershow!)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 28, 2022 • 51min
BONUS: KILLING TIME- ALIEN AUTOPSY
This week the girls and the goth explore UFO conspiracies and one of the most popular extraterrestrial snuff films of all time. They debate joint Facebook accounts, estate sales, and geese. Plus Catfishing tips!
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 27, 2022 • 60min
Episode 193: Mass Murderer John Doe, Part 2
We conclude with part 2 of our story about the attention-hungry mass murderer who ruined and stole the lives of so many in his pursuit of name recognition and infamy.
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 21, 2022 • 53min
BONUS: KILLING TIME- FESTIVAL FAILZ
This week the girls and the goth go down the rabbit hole of the biggest festival disaster of all time. They debate Eric Church bailing on his job to watch college basketball, Coachella 2022, and talking on speaker phone while going #2. QOTD: do you pull your pants down to your ankles when you go to the bathroom?
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 20, 2022 • 53min
Episode 192: Mass Murderer John Doe, Part 1
On April 23, 2018, a 25 year old man commits the worst mass murder in Canadian history since 1989 by driving a Chevy cargo van down busy sidewalks and streets in the business district of Toronto, striking anyone and everything in his path. In less than 10 minutes, the man takes the lives of 10 innocent victims, and severely injures 16 more. In episode 192, Jac, Alexis, and Billy discuss the Toronto Van Attack, and how one man’s actions left an entire city traumatized.
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 14, 2022 • 54min
BONUS: KILLING TIME- SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!
This week the girls and the goth dive into Boston Corbett, the elusive hipster who killed John Wilkes Booth during Billy’s childhood. They debate canned cocktails, crowding gates at airports, and Billy’s disdain for trending tiktok sounds!
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 13, 2022 • 55min
Episode 191: Kay Gosewisch
On July 31, 2020, concerned neighbors contact authorities after not seeing their 73 year old neighbor since mid-April. Mail is piling up, her yard is no longer meticulously maintained, and she’s not answering phone calls or texts. Authorities conduct a welfare check, and find nothing amiss. 19 days later, they’re contacted by the 73 year old woman’s bank - someone has been illegally accessing her accounts. By August 31, authorities finally have enough evidence to enter the woman’s home, but what they found inside was enough to creep out even the most seasoned detectives. In episode 191, Jac, Alexis, and Billy detail the murder of Kay Gosewisch, and try to make sense of why anyone would want to take her life.
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 7, 2022 • 43min
BONUS: KILLING TIME- HELLO HOWARD
This week the girls and the goth learn about the infamous Clay the Serial Killer, who confessed to a dozen murders on the Howard Stern Show. They debate automatic hand dryers, fries and frosties, and shopping cart abandoners. Plus, Alexis decides that skin is IN!
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 31, 2022 • 58min
BONUS: KILLING TIME- PARIS IS 4 LOVERZ
This week the girls and the goth learn about the dark side of the Eiffel Tower. They debate Avril Lavigne, forgiving student loans, and creating your own lane. Also, do you think pick pocketers are magicians or no?
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 30, 2022 • 50min
Episode 189: Sydney Sutherland
On August 19, 2020, a 24 year old woman goes for her daily run in rural Jackson County, Arkansas. When she doesn’t return home, her boyfriend alerts the police and a massive search begins. Two days later, a man takes his 28 year old stepson to the police station, believing he has information on the woman’s disappearance. After finding blood on the 28 year old man’s truck, police search his phone’s GPS history and find he was in the area when the woman disappeared. Police go to the GPS coordinates, and mere yards away, find the woman’s body buried in a field. The killer says it was an accident that got out of hand, but police say otherwise. What is the truth? In episode 189, Jac, Alexis, and Billy detail the murder of Sydney Suthlerand at the hands of an old classmate, Quake Lewellyn.
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 24, 2022 • 49min
BONUS: KILLING TIME- HOUDINI HANDCUFFS
This week the girls and the goth dive into the strange life and stranger death of Harry Houdini! They debate half birthdays, what to do with leftover haircut hair, and is dipping fries in cheese blasphemy? Plus learn how to become a lawyer in just one night!
🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


